Business Ethics in the News

MCDONALDS: How Many Minutes Does It Take To Eat A Happy Meal?

Friday, Jan. 17, 2014

How many minutes does it take to eat a McDonald's “happy meal?” A New York City McDonald’s has walked into a firestorm, as the leaders in the local borough's Korean community are calling for a national boycott of the fast food chain. For sometime now, elders in the Korean community frequent a particular McDonald’s daily, arriving at 5 AM and staying nearly until closing.

So what’s the problem? Each person buys no more than a cup of coffee each, tipping the scales at $1.09, while on other days the group will split a small packet of fries between them. The store manager first posted a “20-minute time limit” above the tables (there’s your answer), but when the group refused to leave, called the police to escort the elderly patrons out. The store management has defended the decision by contending that the elders were driving away business. Korean community leaders understand the business concern, but argue that its business interest is superseded by the respect that elders are entitled to in Korean communities—an entitlement that McDonald’s infringed on by “treating them like criminals.” Is it reasonable to limit the amount of time customers sit in the restaurant? Is McDonald’s obligated to align its values with those of the Korean community that it operates in?

Kirk: I think McDonald’s was insensitive to the cultural factors in play, but did not necessarily act unethically. No business is obligated to provide what is essentially a public service: providing a place for the elderly to spend the day. But, in this case, McDonald’s clearly should have gone further to help the community address the need for places for the elderly to congregate. McDonald’s might contribute cash toward the creation of such a space; it might even provide contributions of food a day a week. There IS a general ethical obligation to try to help the community deal with its problems, and there is an ethical obligation to do much more before violating the local cultural norms; in this case, respect for the elderly.

Patrick: Let’s look at this from the other side. McDonald’s has aggressively expanded its McCafé brand in attempt to draw business from Starbucks and similar coffee shops. Do you think that Starbucks could get away with 20-minute time limits? No way; you could order a small hot chocolate and spend the whole day there, Wi-Fi included. The key consideration here is that Starbucks presumably benefits from creating that “neighborhood coffee shop feel” that goes hand in hand with letting people stay as long as they please. In the McDonald’s case, I think it comes down to this: if the local community wants to express the value they put on respect for elders, and wants local businesses to do the same, they should frequent the McDonald’s MORE for hosting the elderlies daily hangout, even if it means there are less tables available. Vote with your dollar people.